1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a capacity indicating device of a battery that indicates the energy capacity of a vehicle using a plurality of segments. More particularly, the present invention relates to a capacity indicating device of a battery that can accurately estimate the possible residual cruising distance even when the battery has degraded.
2. Background Information
Capacity indicating devices are known that indicate the residual capacity of a battery installed in an electric automobile or the like. An example of one known technology is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 9-33623 that indicates the absolute capacity of the battery using a plurality of segments. In this type of absolute capacity indicating device, the possible traveling distance per segment is fixed. Consequently, the user can easily estimate the possible cruising distance from the segment indication.
While the above-mentioned type of absolute capacity indicating device operates well, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved capacity indicating device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.